Select Committee on Judicial Interpretation Of

TEXAS HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES SELECT COMMITTEE ON JUDICIAL INTERPRETATIONS OF LAW INTERIM REPORT TO THE 77TH TEXAS LEGISLATURE FRED M. BOSSE Chairman Committee Clerk CRAIG P. CHICK Committee On Select Committee on Judicial Interpretations of Law December 5, 2000 Fred M. Bosse P.O. Box 2910 Chairman Austin, Texas 78768-2910 The Honorable James E. "Pete" Laney Speaker, Texas House of Representatives Members of the Texas House of Representatives Texas State Capitol, Rm. 2W.13 Austin, Texas 78701 Dear Mr. Speaker and Fellow Members: The Select Committee on Judicial Interpretations of Law of the Seventy-Sixth Legislature hereby submits its interim report including recommendations for consideration by the Seventy-Seventh Legislature. Respectfully submitted, Fred M. Bosse, Chairman Jim Dunnam Toby Goodman Patricia Gray Peggy Hamric Juan Hinojosa Todd Smith Members: Jim Dunnam; Toby Goodman; Patricia Gray; Peggy Hamric; Juan Hinojosa; Todd Smith; and Burt Solomons Burt Solomons TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction ...................................................................ii Review of Identified Appellate Court Decisions .........................................2 I. Decisions Clearly Failing to Properly Implement Legislative Purposed ..........3 II. Decisions Finding Two or More Statutes to be in Conflict ..................5 III. Decisions Holding a Statute Unconstitutional ..........................15 IV. Decisions Expressly Finding a Statute to be Ambiguous ..................19 V. Decisions Expressly Suggesting Legislative Action .......................34 Findings .....................................................................40 Appendix A. 44 i INTRODUCTION HOUSE SELECT COMMITTEE ON JUDICIAL INTERPRETATIONS OF LAW INTERIM CHARGES After the 76th Legislative Session, the Honorable James E. “Pete” Laney, Speaker of the House of Representatives, appointed eight members to the Select Committee on Judicial Interpretations of Law. The committee membership includes the following: Fred M. Bosse, Chair; Jim Dunnam; Toby Goodman; Patricia Gray; Peggy Hamric; Juan Hinojosa; Todd Smith; and Burt Solomons During the interim, Speaker Laney charged the Select Committee on Judicial Interpretations of Law with examining the decisions of Texas appellate courts over the last five years to identify those decisions that: (1) clearly failed to properly implement legislative purposes; (2) found two or more statutes to be in conflict; (3) held a statute to be unconstitutional; (4) expressly found a statute to be ambiguous; or (5) expressly suggested legislative action. The Committee was directed to make recommendations for corrective legislation in response to the Committee's findings. To the extent possible, corrective legislation proposed by the Committee should have the purpose of effectuating the original legislative intent of the statutes considered by the court and should not recommend other substantive changes. The Committee has completed their hearings and investigations and has issued the following findings. Each member approved all sections of the report. The Chairman wishes to express appreciation to the Committee members and their staffs; Jonathan Davis, Texas Legislative Council; and any other Texas Legislative Council staff members who provided valuable information for this report. ii Select Committee on Judicial Interpretations of Law Interim Report to the 77th Legislature Review of Identified Appellate Court Decisions I. DECISIONS CLEARLY FAILING TO PROPERLY IMPLEMENT LEGISLATIVE PURPOSES FLEMING FOODS OF TEXAS, INC., v. RYLANDER, 6 S.W.3d 278 (Tex. 1999). Issue: Can a taxpayer who pays sales tax to a vendor, not directly to the state, request a tax refund from the state under a provision in the Tax Code drafted by the Texas Legislative Council as part of the statutory revision program if the codified provision is phrased differently from the prior law, which did not permit the taxpayer to request such a refund? Holding: A taxpayer is entitled to request a tax refund under the law as drafted by the legislative council and enacted by the legislature, notwithstanding departure from prior law. Where specific provisions of a "nonsubstantive" codification prepared by the Texas Legislative Council pursuant to Section 323.007, Government Code, and the code as a whole are direct, unambiguous, and cannot be reconciled with prior law, the codification, rather than the prior, repealed statute must be given effect, even if a mistake is made in the nonsubstantive codification and the codification process results in a substantive change to the prior law. In the final analysis, it is the Legislature that adopts codifications, not the Legislative Council, and it is the Legislature that specifically repeals prior enactments. The codifications enacted by the Legislature are the law of this State, not the prior, repealed law. When there is no room to interpret or construe the current law as embodying the old, we must give full effect to the current law. General statements of the Legislature's intent cannot revive repealed statutes or override the clear meaning of a new, more specific statute. JOYNER v. STATE, 921 S.W.2d 234 (Tex. Crim. App. 1996); RAY v. STATE, 919 S.W.2d 125 (Tex. Crim. App. 1996). Issue: Whether the failure of a trial judge to admonish a defendant of the consequences of a violation of deferred adjudication probation as specifically required by Section 5(a), Article 42.12, Code of Criminal Procedure [as that section existed at the time of trial and before amendment], rendered involuntary a defendant's guilty plea. Section 5(a) specifically required a trial judge to "inform the defendant orally or in writing of the possible consequences under Subsection (b) of this section of a violation of probation." Holding: In RAY, the court opined that the order of proceedings in a criminal case supports the 3 view that a defendant need not be informed of the Section 5(b) consequences until after the defendant is placed on probation and that there is no policy reason to require a trial court to inform every defendant who pleads guilty of the possible consequences of a violation of deferred adjudication, because unless the trial court decides to defer adjudication, there is no reason to tell the defendant what might happen if the defendant violates the terms and conditions of probation. In JOYNER, the court affirmed the defendant's adjudication of guilt and sentence following revocation of probation "based on this Court's recent ruling in Ray." We conclude that Sec. 5(a) does not require, either in felonies or misdemeanors, that the defendant entering an open plea of guilty or nolo contendere be informed prior to his plea of the possible consequences under Sec. 5(b) of a probation violation. Therefore, the failure to provide the information does not render such a plea involuntary. 919 S.W.2d 125, 127 4 II. DECISIONS FINDING TWO OR MORE STATUTES TO BE IN CONFLICT NIXSON v. MOBIL OIL CORPORATION, 928 S.W.2d 245 (Tex. App.--Houston [14th Dist.] 1996, no writ). Statutes found in conflict: Article 6432, Revised Statutes, imposing liability on railroad companies for injuries to their employees, and Section 406.034(b), Labor Code, a provision in the Workers' Compensation Act, requiring an election by an injured employee to preserve a cause of action at common law or under a statute. Holding: Looking at the object sought to be obtained by the statutes, the circumstances under which the statutes were enacted, the legislative history of the statutes, and the consequences of the alternative constructions, the court held that Section 406.034(b), Labor Code, controls over Article 6432, Revised Statutes. EVANS v. C. WOODS, INC., 1999 WL 787399 (Tex. App.--Tyler 1999, no pet.). Statutes found in conflict: Subsection (b), Section 51.014, Civil Practice and Remedies Code, "Appeal From Interlocutory Order," and a portion of Rule 683, Texas Rules of Civil Procedure, "Form and Scope of Injunction or Restraining Order." Section 51.014(b) provides that "[a]n interlocutory appeal under Subsection (a) shall have the effect of staying the commencement of a trial in the trial court pending resolution of the appeal." In pertinent part, Rule 683 provides that "[t]he appeal of a temporary injunction shall constitute no cause for delay of the trial." Holding: The conflict between these two provisions lies in whether the trial date is to be stayed pending an interlocutory appeal. Both provisions, however, presuppose that a trial date has been set in the temporary injunction order as required by Rule 683. Thus, the court held that Section 51.014(b) does not absolve a trial court from its Rule 683 duty to include in a temporary injunction order an order setting the cause for trial on the merits. The court did not address whether the trial date is to be stayed pending an interlocutory appeal. LEDERMAN v. ROWE, 3 S.W.3d 254 (Tex. App.--Waco 1999, no pet.); GASKILL v. SNEAKY ENTERPRISES, INC., 997 S.W.2d 296 (Tex. App.--Fort Worth 1999, rev. denied); DAVIS v. COVERT, 983 S.W.2d 301 (Tex. App.--Hous. [1st Dist.] 1998, rev. dism'd w.o.j.). Statutes found in conflict: Subsection (d), Section 28.053, Government Code, "Hearing on 5 Appeal," which provides that the judgment of the county court or county court at law on the appeal from a small claims court is final, and Section 51.012, Civil Practice and Remedies Code, "Appeal or Writ of Error to Court of Appeals," which gives a court of appeals jurisdiction over cases in which the amount in controversy exceeds $100. Holding: When

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